Help Me With HIPAA

It's that time of year again. Time to start preparing for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month coming up in October. Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart is the theme again this year. Be a Cybersecurity Awareness Month Champion for your business, your community and your family. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/318

Managing your vendors, or your supply chain, has become increasingly more important these days. As we've seen in the news just in the last several months, data and system breaches can come as a result of the vendors you work with. So, we felt like it was time to revisit this topic by reviewing the recent update to the HIC SCRiM guide that includes 6 steps for vendor management. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/317

Every year we cover the most recent report released on the cost of a data breach. No surprise from this year's report that the cost continues to rise. And healthcare breaches cost the most across all industries. Listen in as we go through IBM's Cost of Data Breach Report 2021. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/316

There's a new data breach notification bill in Congress that will affect the business community as a whole, not just healthcare. It will create a new data breach disclosure requirement for federal agencies, federal contractors and critical infrastructure companies. It's time to let folks know when breaches happen. We can't protect ourselves from things we don't know about. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/315

There is so much happening in the cyber world today that we couldn't decide on just one topic to cover in this episode. So, we will be jumping around and covering a lot of different cyber topics, hence the title of the podcast, Cyber Sqwerl. So, listen fast folks… we've got a lot to cover. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/314

Summertime, holidays and long weekends, where many of us are taking time off, are prime times for cyber attacks. The bad guys are counting on people being in a hurry and letting their guard down so it'll make it easier to suck you into their attack. July 4th 2021 was no different. An MSP was attacked by cyber criminals. Although this is still an active incident, we will cover what we know in today's podcast. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/313

Offshore services are a popular option for many businesses. The ability to work around the clock from different sides of the planet is one thing but the cost savings are the primary driving force for this solution. When it comes to HIPAA Business Associates, though, there are a lot of variables that must be considered when deciding whether to offshore or not. More at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/312

Securing your business is not always the easiest thing to do nor the cheapest. Today we will review a Cisco study on small and medium sized businesses and their security best bets. In other words, the things that you can do that will help you to most likely attain success and get you the most bang for your buck. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/311

The Department of Labor (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) issued its very first cybersecurity guidance in April 2021and they sound remarkably like all the things that we recommend doing under HIPAA, HICP and the NIST cybersecurity framework. Let's check it out! More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/310

They say ignorance is bliss. Ignorance can also leave you vulnerable to cyber attacks and patient safety issues. As we see news about cyber attacks coming from everywhere, you might ask "Is it really that bad?" Yes, yes it is. And it continues to get worse. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/309

Privacy and security should be a part of all organizations day-to-day activity and company culture. But how do you know how mature your privacy and security program really is? By using one of the many maturity models. Today, we are discussing the new DoD Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) that breaks controls into levels so you can see what implementation level or maturity level your program is at any given moment. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/308

It's been a while since we've reviewed an OCR settlement that wasn't about the patient right of access initiative. Things are a changin', and in more ways than one. OCR announced the Peachstate settlement just this week that got our attention. How this case ended up being investigated in the first place is interesting. And as usual, the headline doesn't tell the whole story. So, let's dive in and check it out. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/307

One of the biggest security problems on the Internet is a ransomware attack. Ransomware can impact all our lives. Just take the Scripps Health and Colonial Pipeline ransomware attacks that we discussed in recent podcast episodes. Last week we gave you 6 tips for planning for a ransomware attack. And today we are going to discuss 6 points from the recently released cybersecurity Executive Order. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/306

Ransomware is just not going away. Falling victim to a ransomware attack will have a BIG impact on you, your business, your clients and your patients. So, today we share some ransomware planning tips. It's important to know what things you should be doing and should at least consider so that you don't get caught with your proverbial "pants down." More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/305

We've talked about how damaging a ransomware attack can be in healthcare, not only for the practice or health facility but also for patients and the integrity and availability of their data. Today, we discuss an active ransomware attack affecting a health system that is not just making the local news, but also is blowing up on social media and creating a number of privacy concerns. The implications for their patients is terrifying. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/304

We've all seen the websites of companies that claim to have a "HIPAA compliant" app, product or service. But does that really mean anything? The short answer is NO! There is no such thing. Today, we answer a listener question about products and services with these types of claims. And, as you can imagine, we have a lot to say about this topic. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/303

We talk about patching pretty frequently on the podcast, but there is still a misconception that your IT or MSP team is patching everything. Systems are not designed to patch all hardware and software all of the time. There is a level of responsibility that falls on us to understand what is being patched by IT, what isn't and what we do about those unpatched applications. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/302

Basic Cyber Hygiene is a fairly new term, but I realized we have mentioned it several times over the last few weeks. What do we really intend people to see when we talk about it? That may be helpful if we think it would solve most of our cyber attack problems, huh. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/301

Hard to believe that this is our official 300th episode! We are still a tiny podcast in a huge sea but we are pretty sure you can not find a longer running podcast about HIPAA Privacy and Security. To celebrate we have some very special guests, Dave Bittner and Ben Yellen from the CyberWire Caveat podcast. They are joining us for a discussion about where we all see things going in the future for data privacy laws and cybersecurity protections. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/300

Each year the National HIPAA Summit 2021 is a regular event for us. It was held last year just before the shutdown. The event this year was loaded with discussions about what had happened in the previous 12 months and the massive list of things happening in the next 12 months. That is A LOT of HIPAA! Today we cover part 2 of news of note from the conference. More at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/299

If you are a regular listener of the podcast, you know how Donna loves to "HIPAA-geek out" over the HIPAA Summit each year. Things are no different this year as the virtual conference stretched 3 full days and another half day. Needless to say Donna got TONS of information to share - so much so we won't be able to fit it all in this one podcast. So, let's get to Part 1 of the HIPAA Summit 2021. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/298

Cyber attacks keep on coming and there is no expectation that they'll ever stop. Attacks are coming from everywhere - vulnerabilities in software applications, insecure IoT devices connected on the internet, email attacks and phishing, etc. Protecting your systems from cyber attacks is not a "one and done," "set it and forget it" project. It is a critical and continuous business process that every organization must address. And, surprise surprise, it also requires vetting your vendors as many attacks are coming through your supply chain. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/297

Reports are coming out evaluating cyber threats with stats and details documenting the aftermath of attacks happening in 2020 and the outlook for 2021. Let's just say they are all on brand with what you expect from anything related to 2020. As you can guess, it isn't looking good for 2021 based on where we are right now. We reviewed some of the articles and reports evaluating cyber threats so you don't have to... unless you must. More at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/296

Isn't it always the little things that make a big difference? That's true not only in life, but also when it comes to protecting your data and network from attacks. And, it is often the small things that when overlooked can become a big problem. So, today we are talking about some of the things that you need to be looking for and that can make a big difference in your privacy and security programs. For more info HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/295

Supply chain cyber threats are happening so often it seems like they keep showing up in the news daily. The list of cases keeps growing every month. So much is still slowly being learned about the SolarWinds attack it is getting hard to keep up with how far it goes. Now we have water systems and more healthcare breaches trickling in. This week I even saw a case we covered before about exposed PACS images. It's time for us to talk about what these supply chain attacks mean to the rest of us. For more info HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/294

Supply chain cyber threats are happening so often they keep showing up in the news. The list keeps growing every month. So much is still slowly being learned about the SolarWinds attack it is getting hard to keep up. Now we have water systems and more healthcare breaches trickling in. It's time for us to talk about what these supply chain attacks mean to the rest of us. More at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/293

Smart cyber habits are part of a new initiative introduced by CISA they have titled Reduce the Risk of Ransomware Awareness Campaign that will be running for a new month now. The campaign includes a lot of great educational information and a toolkit among other things they have planned. Certainly worth us sharing with you guys because you can't have too many chances to find something that will connect with leadership or your workforce. More at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/292

HHS's Office for Civil Rights published their proposed changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The changes include some required to make HIPAA better align with the requirements of 21st Century Cures Act for patient access to their records. There's a few other changes to note, as well. Let's check them out, shall we? More into at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/291

During NCSAM Kardon signed up for the Terranova Phishing Tournament - much to everyone's surprise. Great news is we didn't have anyone clicking on the link. What did they learn in the tournament? More at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/290

The OCR enforcement announcements keep coming. Our reviews of not only the new announcements but news on some of the older ones are the topic for today. Did you know one from 2018 is still being reviewed in the courts while we get new ones already in 2021? More at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/289

Always great to talk cybersecurity insurance coverage with John Miller of Sterling Seacrest Partners. Threats are constantly evolving for all of us. That means cyber liability coverage must also evolve. Have you evaluated what your cyber policy will really cover when you are attacked? There are certainly several areas John brings up for us all to consider in our cybersecurity policies. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/288

Making annual predictions is always a little bit guessing and a lot of luck by the end of the year. No way any of us could have predicted where we would go throughout the year we just call 2020. Only history will tell us will give us the distance to understand the last 12 months. Who knows where we will go next but what the umm heck. We figured we would do it again. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/287

A new HIPAA safe harbor rule is out there floating around now. A safe harbor is a legal term that refers to laws and regulations that specify that certain actions will be considered not to violate a given rule. It is often used to clarify big standards like HIPAA. Encryption is one of those things under the breach rules. Do you know about HR 7898? More at HelpMeWithHIPAA/286

A hospital President, after being hit by a cyber attack, said "We really did not anticipate the scope or the impact the attack had on our system and how far-reaching it was." This is just the beginning. Get prepared for more to come. Especially, with the success of the major SolarWinds infiltration. We knew things were getting worse weeks ago when we recorded this one. Where do we see things going? More at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/285

What a year it has been! Say what you will but none of us will EVER forget living through 2020. As we have all adjusted throughout the year we appreciate everyone's continued support of our efforts to educate and entertain. As is our custom, our editor, Bojan, gets his annual 15 minutes of fame. Enjoy his year end Blooper Show edition that gives us a week off and gives him a chance to get back at us for the whole year of crap. More data privacy and security madness coming your way next year which is actually next week! Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and Happy End of 2020!

The value of the HICP guides is really beginning to be realized as we approach the 2nd anniversary of it's release. Erik Decker, Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Privacy Officer, University of Chicago Medical Center (and 405d Task Force industry lead and co-chair) was kind enough to join us again to discuss what's coming next for HICP and what he sees in healthcare cybersecurity management as we head into 2021. More at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/284

Amazon is rolling out a new "feature" called Sidewalk. If you have any Alexa devices or certain Ring devices on a network we say get off the Sidewalk! At least until you figure out how it can be secured. More at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/283

With so much going on this year things that would have been big news are slipping by with little notice. Back in 2016 The 21st Century Cures Act was passed which included a lot of healthcare IT updates to improve patient access to their information. A specific section was all about how to prevent information blocking. What is it, why do you care and when will things happen? That's the topic today. More at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/282

Each year we take the week off on Thanksgiving and share a replay of an episode we want to share. This year it seemed appropriate to share our original predictions for 2020 that we did just before the world turned upside down with a pandemic. In a few weeks we will evaluate how we did but for now, catch up on how naive we all were just a few months ago.

Just because a story isn't about healthcare or HIPAA doesn't mean they don't offer some important news for folks in healthcare to take note. Marriott and Zoom cybersecurity cases were just in the news. We all need to take note of them and pay close attention to what happened. Oh, and there is a new one in healthcare that does include a vendor. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/281

Every time we think we get ahead of the current news more things happen! More enforcement news, more ransomware specific warnings, more cyber threats to worry about. Let's get to it! More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/280

Tamika Bass joins us today to discuss the importance of effective communication skills. We have spent a lot of time discussing that it is everyone's responsibility to participate in cybersecurity protections. One big issue in making that happen is to have tech teams communicate effectively with non-tech teams. As Tamika says "if there is no understanding then communication didn't happen". More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/279

Hard to believe that we are rolling out our 6th Halloween episode! This year you get to help figure out the costumes at the network office party. Can you guess what all the cyber costumes are saying? More notes at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/278

More HIPAA COVID examples, another OCR action announced and it is the last week of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Time to get informed and #BeCyberSmart about connected devices. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/277

We get to week 3 of #BeCyberSmart NCSAM. We had no idea when we made this plan that OCR would start dropping settlements at the same time. After a pretty quiet year they announced more settlements in September than they ever had in a single month before. Again, we have a lot to review! Reminds me of one of my favorite movie quotes: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Ferris Bueller More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/276

Our commitment to include #BeCyberSmart each week this month did not anticipate that OCR would set a record for resolution announcements in September. This week we give you info to plan for next week's activities for NCSAM plus a review of the Athens Orthopedic resolution agreement. A lot to cover! More at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/275

The first week of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) 2020 is next week. The theme: If You Connect It, Protect It. How can you use it in your organization? We cover that plus OCR's 5 resolutions in one announcement reiterating their commitment to patient access rights. For more info: HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/274

We missed the boat on National Insider Threat Awareness month in Sept: Insider Threat Mitigation but we are not going to miss NCSAM this year. Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart and If You Connect It, Protect It. are going to be all over the place here in October. More at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/273

There is so much going on right now it is hard to keep up. I know there is a lot of activity when we can't keep an eye on everything! There are several stories that I think we should all be aware of but the big headline one is about HIPAA changes coming in 2020. However, it isn't the only one about changes that you should be aware of also. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/272

This episode is the continuation of our Cybersecurity Tales Part 1 last week. We get into more discussions about real world cases involving cyber attacks the team at Black Talon have been called for data breach response. This part is where David really started getting scared! More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/271